~Chapter 8~

"Zack," I screeched loudly, clutching my red high heel tightly in my hand. "I swear to god I'll stab your eyes out with this thing. Give it back right now!"

His maniacal laughs echoed through my apartment as I ran around in a frenzy, trying to locate my idiot of a brother. How were we even related?

"You better find me quickly, Harps, or I'm going to post that photo," he taunted but in doing so he revealed his location and I managed to workout where he was hiding. This one really was lacking in brain cells.

When I finally found him, his back was facing me so I lunged at him, pulling him to the ground by his shoulders. We both fell to the ground with a loud 'thud' but I didn't let that distract me, not wasting a second in wrestling my phone from his hands. After a few minutes of struggle on both ends, I managed to snatch my phone from his grasp, standing up with a victorious cheer.

"Ouch, Harps, that really hurt," Zack complained as he got up, rubbing his back in pain.

I stuck my tongue out childishly, deleting the mugshot of me that Zack was about to post on my instagram for my millions of followers to see. "Your fault," I said, uncaringly. "You shouldn't have tried to embarrass me online."

"But that's what big brothers are for," he tried to reason as I plopped down onto the sofa. Zack sat down too, leaning his head against the armrest, sighing dramatically as he did.

"Does that mean little sisters are supposed to expose their brother's new girlfriend to their parents?" I questioned much too innocently.

He bolted upright, eyeing me uneasily. "What makes you think I've got a girlfriend?"

"It was only an assumption because you've not tried it on with a single girl in the last two weeks. Not even on your birthday last night. But you just proved me right by getting all nervous so thanks," I said in an overly cheerful voice to piss him off.

He groaned, bashing his head into the arm of the sofa. "Urgh. Forgot you were so observant... but you won't tell mum and dad, will you?"

"Why would I do that? I never talk to mum unless I have to and I know you wouldn't want dad to know."

He sighed in relief, turning his head to face me. "Thanks, Harps. It's just, you know how they were when Wyatt started dating Aurora. I swear, they conducted this whole background investigation to see if she was good enough."

I laughed, patting him on the head. "Yeah, they're crazy but you know dad means well. So, tell me, who's the unlucky girl?"

Zack rolled his eyes, hitting me on the arm playfully. "We're still new, Harps, but I like her a lot. I'll introduce you the next time you come home."

"You sneaky bastard. This is your way of making me visit, isn't it?"

"Maybe."

"Well played, Zack. Well played," I muttered under my breath, watching my brother in amusement as he pretended to be oblivious to what he just did. Okay, maybe he wasn't brainless after all.

~*~*~

"Congrats on the magazine cover," I complimented Axel over brunch the next day.

Zack, Naeem and Jacob wanted to visit the Statue of Liberty today but since Axel saw it last time he visited he decided to stay behind with me for the day. "Thanks," he grinned, taking a bite of his pancakes.

"They really do love portraying you as a 'bad boy', don't they?" I commented, having a sip of my coffee.

He shrugged. "I guess I've just got that look. You know, with the black hair, tattoos and all."

"I suppose and I get why they do it. I mean, danger and sex sell."

"Exactly, it's all marketing. Besides who wouldn't want the underwear after seeing me in it," he joked.

That was another thing I liked about Axel. He wasn't arrogant and cocky when it came to his looks. Although I knew he wasn't oblivious to just how attractive he was, he never let it get to his head. He'd joke about it from time to time but never take himself too seriously on the matter.

"Yeah, you looked like sex on a stick," I said with a straight face but couldn't hold it for long until we both bursted out laughing.

"Seriously though," I said, after sobering up. "You did look really good."

He smiled bashfully at me and I noticed his ears turn a light shade of pink as he had a gulp of his orange juice before making a sour face. He shook his head distastefully, stealing my coffee to wash the taste away.

"Juice not good?" I teased, amused.

He pouted, his brown eyes glistening in the reflection of my coffee. "It's not bad but after that mocktail we had a while back no fruit drink even compares."

"Well then, have I got the surprise for you."

He eyed me questioningly over my coffee, taking another sip. "What?"

"Well, I was craving that drink like mad over summer and just had to have it almost everyday so... I managed to find out the recipe."

Axel gaped at me, letting the coffee cup drop to the table, luckily none of it spilled because it was over half finished. "You're joking."

I laughed at his theatrics. "Nope."

He stood up hastily, fishing a few bills from his wallet and throwing them on the table.

"What are you doing?" I asked, grabbing my coffee mug back from his side of the table.

"Leaving. Come on, we've got to have that drink. Now."

I raised a brow at him, shaking my head as I continued to drink my coffee. "But we've not finished our food yet, Axel. We can't let it all go to waste."

He waved me off, tucking his chair into the table as he called over a waiter to take the money. "We've both finished, Harper. All that's left is your coffee and if you want I'll buy you another one on the way back."

"But—"

"Please," he begged with puppy eyes that I just couldn't refuse.

I sighed, standing up, taking a few bills out from my handbag and handing them to the waiter so Axel didn't have to pay for my half. "Fine," I gave in and his eyes lit up as he grabbed my wrist and dragged me away from our table before we could even get our change. That waiter just got one hell of a tip.

~*~*~

"You just need to muddle the mint with the strawberries," I instructed Axel, grabbing some lemons from my fruit bowl so I could juice them.

He did as he was told, his tongue sticking out slightly from his mouth as he concentrated and once we were both done we combined the ingredients in a glass pitcher, adding some Sprite as well.

Axel started mixing everything together whilst I grabbed two glasses and filled them with ice. He poured the pink concoction into the glasses with a triumphant grin on his face. "Ta-da. I present to you what I like to call a 'strawberry twist'."

He nodded in approval, lifting the glass to his lips. "I like the name."

He kept me waiting in suspense for a few long moments as he tasted the drink yet again, assessing it in his mind. His face remained impassive for a moment too long before he broke out into his signature grin. "Now that is good," he said, continuing to gulp down the pink liquid.

I curtsied mockingly, grabbing my own glass before we both moved to sit at adjacent bar stools. "What can I say? I'm a goddess in the kitchen."

He snorted into his drink but tried, unsuccessfully, to muffle the sound with his hand. I ignored his blatant disagreement with a roll of my eyes.

"Axel, how has your second visit to New York been?" I asked, swirling the ice around in my drink with my red-and-white-spotted paper straw.

He ran his fingers through is inky locks, looking at me with a distant expression as if he was really thinking about his answer.

"Hmmm. Well I didn't have to work this time which was pretty great and I felt more like I belonged this time. Last time, I was more like a tourist, you know? But I've done all that stuff now and I kinda know how the city works which is nice. In a way, it's quite similar to home 'cause everyone is so busy and absorbed in their own lives but I feel people are more stoic here, only a little though. The nightlife here is great, I like the liveliness of the city and—" Axel, suddenly cut himself off, looking at me apologetically. "Sorry, I'm rambling, aren't I?"

I shook my head at him, smiling softly. "Axel, don't apologise. I've told you before that I like when you ramble. It's you being you and you can't afford to let others change you, especially in this industry otherwise you'll lose yourself and the media will take advantage of that," I said, pausing to let my words sink in.

I wasn't normally the preaching type but this was the second time Axel had done this and I'd be lying if I said it didn't upset me slightly. When I was younger, my mother used to try and turn me into someone I wasn't — or, more specifically, her. I did everything I could to please her but it was never enough, no matter what I did.

I was too tall (even though five foot four wasn't even tall), too fat, not pretty enough, not girly enough, too much like my brothers and so many more things; basically, I wasn't enough like her.

I wasn't blonde and my eyes were a different shade of blue. I wasn't as petite as her and I wasn't as dainty. My features were different and I was more of a tomboy. I liked action movies, partying and sports. I didn't go on diets to slim down to an unhealthy size — at least, I hadn't recently — and I wasn't a polite little princess. Of course, there was nothing wrong if that was who you wanted to be but that was it. It wasn't who I wanted to be; it wasn't me.

It took me far too long to realise this and if it weren't for my friends, dad and brothers I don't think I ever would have. Especially my dad, he was the best man I knew. Ever since I was little, he had always encouraged me to be who I wanted to be and to embrace myself. Although he had always been a busy man, he would make time for me no matter what and what I lacked in a mother he definitely made up for.

It was because of him that I tried to unapologetically be myself. I wanted him to be proud of me and I knew that wouldn't happen if I pretended to be someone I wasn't. I just couldn't disappoint him like that. At least, I tried not to but sometimes words got to you; they got the best of all of us sometimes but that was just being human.

Zack was great too. He was there whenever dad couldn't be and was my other half in a sense. He helped me through all the hard times like when I had an eating disorder in high school or even when I got into fights with mum. He was always there to pick up the pieces and comfort the crying mess I was. He was there when I broke up with my long term boyfriend and when my best friend and I were having issues.

He was always there for me and he always would be. Even if I denied it, I loved him endlessly and I'd no idea what I'd do without him.

Growing up in the public eye didn't make life any easier because random people were always trying to tear you down and belittle you so whenever someone made comments about me not being or acting how they wanted me to, I remembered my dad and Zack.

That was why it upset me when I saw Axel apologise for being himself. What he did seemed small and insignificant but those little things built up into big things and they slowly cracked and broke you. I didn't want that for him. He was perfect just the way he was.

"Anyway, you were saying?" I prompted, encouraging him to continue his train of thought.

He grinned, his brown eyes looking slightly brighter as he continued to tell me about his thoughts and I clung onto his every word, loving how engrossed he was in his thoughts and the happiness shining in his eyes.

"I can't believe you're leaving tomorrow. It feels like you guys just got here," I said a few minutes later.

He sighed, pouring himself another glass — proof I'm a goddess in the kitchen, just saying. "I know, time really does fly but, like I've said before, I think we'll see each other again and sooner than you think."

I eyed him suspiciously as I stood up to rinse my glass and put it in the dishwasher. "You say that like you know something I don't..."

He shrugged, grinning playfully at me in his signature Axel style which always made me feel light and airy. "I've no idea what you're talking about," he said, clearly lying but I didn't call him out on it, intrigued enough to just wait and find out what he meant.

"Alright..." I said, sounding unconvinced. "Since the boys won't be back until really late, shall we make the most of your last night with a movie marathon?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way," he smiled and I couldn't ignore the slight flutter of my heart. What was happening to me?

~*~*~

So it's like 2 am for me right now but really wanted to get this chapter out so I hope you like it (:

Also, please let me know which of these covers you prefer, I could really use your input x

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Thank you ☺️💜

Until next time, bye xx